City stay perfect as late Cunha goal saves United

Manchester City remain top after a five-goal rout, while United snatch a point at Craven Cottage in the final fixtures of matchweek five

By Andalo Christine Ingutia

Manchester City kept their unbeaten record intact with a pulsating 5–3 victory over Sunderland at the Etihad Stadium yesterday, while Manchester United rescued a 1–1 draw against Fulham at Craven Cottage thanks to a dramatic 89th-minute strike from Matheus Cunha. The results bring down the curtain on matchweek five, after which players disperse for a three-week international break.

City’s match against Sunderland was a breathless affair from the first whistle. Enzo Fernández opened the scoring in the ninth minute, only for Brian Brobbey to level three minutes later. Rayan Cherki restored City’s lead before Brobbey struck again to make it 2–2. Antoine Semenyo then put City ahead for the third time just before the interval, sending the teams into the break at 3–2.

Semenyo added a fourth early in the second half to seemingly put the match beyond Sunderland. The visitors refused to fold, however, and Brobbey completed a fine hat-trick to make it 4–3 and set up a nervy finish. Any hopes of a Sunderland comeback were extinguished in the 81st minute when Erling Haaland sealed the points, his goal confirming a 5–3 win that leaves City top of the table on 15 points.

Liverpool secured a hard-fought 1–0 victory over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, with Alexander Isak scoring the only goal. The first half was tight, with Bournemouth’s defence frustrating Liverpool’s forward line. The visitors raised the tempo after the break and broke the deadlock in the 56th minute, Dominik Szoboszlai threading a pass to Isak, who finished clinically. Bournemouth pressed for an equaliser in the closing stages but Liverpool held firm.

Crystal Palace and Leeds United played out a goalless draw in a match light on clear-cut chances. Palace appeared to have taken the lead early in the second half, only for the effort to be ruled out after a lengthy VAR review. Leeds pushed forward in search of a winner, encouraged by the home crowd, but Palace defended with discipline and organisation, blocking several efforts to earn a clean sheet on the road.

At Craven Cottage, Manchester United were forced to come from behind before snatching a share of the spoils. Both sides started brightly, but it was Fulham who struck first in the 62nd minute when a Lisandro Martínez deflection sent the ball into his own net. United responded by pushing forward and increasing the pressure, and their persistence was rewarded in the 89th minute when Cunha found space inside the box and fired home to make it 1–1. Neither side could find a winner in the closing moments, and the final whistle confirmed a point apiece from an entertaining contest.

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